Chefs' Guilty Pleasures

by Katie Workman, Posted Sep 25th 2009 @ 4:00PM

Mario Batali, sans Doritos. Photo: Bauer-Griffin.

What do chefs eat when they need a palate cleanser after so much fancy restaurant fare? When they take off their aprons, they reach for the same indulgences we do -- perhaps just with an upgrade. Slashfood asked celebrity chefs to share their favorite cravings.

Mario Batali
When orange-clogged chef and television personality Mario Batali isn't reinventing Italian cuisine, he's still got it in the bag -- of Doritos, that is. "I love two things: good gelato and, strangely enough, Doritos and salsa. It has to be Doritos, though. I especially like the lime-flavored ones with chili."

Nigella Lawson
Which foods make domestic goddess Nigella Lawson feel sinful? None! Nigella, who is famous for her intimate, relaxed cooking style says, "I don't have any guilty food pleasures. The only thing one should ever feel guilty about is not taking pleasure."

See what snacks Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio and other celebrity chefs sneak after the jump.

Daisy Martinez
Author and Food Network star Daisy Martinez, host of "Viva Daisy!," loves to give in to temptation. "I have a few guilty pleasures, not least of which is my mother's mofongo, a dish made of mashed plantains with garlic and pork crackling that I would consider selling one of my kids for! That being said, I have made my husband promise me that when I am on my deathbed, he will pry my mouth open right before I draw my last breath, and push in a sliver of pan-seared foie gras -- with maybe a bit of grilled mango for acidity -- into my mouth because I am sure that is what paradise tastes like."

Tom Colicchio
"Top Chef" host and chef/owner of the Craft empire, Tom Colicchio clearly spends a lot of time around extravagant foods. While the rest of us might be hankering for a burger, Tom says, "I have a weakness for Wagyu beef. It's definitely a luxury, but it's just so tender and flavorful."

Daniel Boulud
Restaurant impresario and ambassador of French cuisine, Daniel Boulud says his favorite guilty pleasure "is actually a very simple one. While I grew up surrounded by incredible produce from my parents' farm, one thing we certainly did not grow was avocados, and I didn't have my first one until I was a teenager. They have been a favorite indulgence ever since. I just split the avocado and sprinkle it with salt and pepper and a bit of very extra virgin olive oil, such as Manni. The oil really brings out the fruitiness of the avocado."

Wolfgang Puck
Award-winning chef and celebrity restaurateur Wolfgang Puck has a French sweet tooth. He craves delicate cookies from one of Paris' best bakeries: "My guilty pleasure is macaroons from Ladurée in Paris. Pistachio ones!" The sweets might not be too pricey, but the airfare is definitely an indulgence.

Bobby Flay
What food can't Bobby Flay resist? The Foot Network superstar and best-selling author confesses: "My guilty indulgence is pistachio gelato. I think I might love ice cream more than just about anything else. I like it served alongside cakes and pies, in banana splits, in sundaes, straight out of the carton. My first job was at Baskin Robbins."

Eric Ripert
Eric Ripert, whose elegant restaurants and cookbooks have won dozens of prestigious awards, shares Nigella's philosophy and doesn't beat himself up about anything he treats himself to. He says, "I have no guilt, I always indulge -- in small quantities!"

And as for our author Katie Workman, "I go for the salt. I could never go to the movies without succumbing to one of those mega-troughs of popcorn. I know it's terrible for you, but I can make it through any kids' movie sitting between my two boys, with one of those gallon buckets on my lap. Some movie theaters even give free refills. As far as I'm concerned, that's class."

Katie Workman is Editor-in-Chief of Cookstr.com

Our Senior Editor Kat could down an ocean of Diet Coke. Editor Sara is a slave to Taco Bell's 7-Layer Burrito and Assistant Editor (and Hungry Bride) Sarah could eat her body weight in caviar. Spill your snacking secrets in the comments below.

This just in -- Lemondrop editor Laura Gilbert tells Slashfood of a guilty please she just can't get enough of. Says she, "There's someone even bolder than me -- Russ Brunelli, aka the Pimp of Pizza at Hell's Kitchen Pizza, the rock-appointed restaurant I happened to wander into that night. On the menu? Macaroni and cheese pizza, a pile of chewy elbow pasta on a white pie with orangey cheese. Two birds, one stone, full stomach.

While delicious, the spot's specialty is actually the Hellfire, a pie with hot Italian sausage, cherry peppers and pepperoni. It sounds regular, but it's got a serious spicy kick that induces sweating so quickly, it's practically exercise. Eating a slice as a chaser is the perfect way to burn off the mac and cheese carb implosion you just consumed."

Do you have a guilty pleasure food?
Well, one.	214 (13.2%)
Several	1061 (65.7%)
Not really	107 (6.6%)
I don't believe in guilt.	234 (14.5%)

Filed Under: Did you know?, Celebrities
Tags: bobby flay, BobbyFlay, celebrity chefs, CelebrityChefs, daisy martinez, DaisyMartinez, daniel boulud, DanielBoulud, did you know, eric ripert, EricRipert, laduree, mario batali, MarioBatali, tom colicchio, TomColicchio, wolfgang puck, WolfgangPuck

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 2)

9-25-2009 @6:19PM Megan said... Seconding the mofongo X D
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9-26-2009 @2:53PM LuAnn said... My mom's homemade meatballs. I could never duplicate them.
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9-26-2009 @3:18PM kristina said... Omg... I am from the south, North Carolina to be exact... and I absolutely am addicted to Pickled eggs, pickled sausage, and fried pickles!!! :) and of course, some good N.C. barbeque ;)
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9-26-2009 @3:55PM Amanda said... SUSHI!!
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9-26-2009 @4:21PM LAWMAN said... A Greek Bougatsa with cinnamon sprinkle and a cup of Greek Coffee medium with kaimaki. Awesome good!
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9-26-2009 @4:25PM LAWMAN said... My mother's lemon merangue pie!
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9-26-2009 @4:55PM MAYRA said... My mother's mole and potato salad!!!!
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9-26-2009 @5:25PM Richard said... My grandfather used to make the meatballs for Sunday dinner. He had white hair parted down the middle and a big white handle-bar moustache. He would put all the ingredients in a big bowl, then look under his glasses at my and bring his finger to his lips and say, "shhhhh". Then he would reach in his vest and pull out a leather pouch and unzip it. He pulled out a wad of pipe tobacco between his fingers and sprinkled it into the bowl. He would roll small balls of meat. Fried them in a huge black iron pan. They were outrageous! The true test of a great meatball is that they taste just as good with or without sauce, which Grandma made from scratch. My Mother would always ask him what that flavor was from. He would look at me, wink, and say, "Mi dispiace, Amelia. Non posso dire a nessuno." (Sorry, Amelia. I cannot tell anyone").
Still the best meatballs and sauce I ever had, and my Mother is a GREAT cook!
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9-26-2009 @6:18PM Angiebaby said... I'd find it far more interesting to know what they hate to eat, what they can't stand the taste of. Everybody has guilty pleasures (except Nigella Lawson & Eric Ripert)and foods they can't stand, but especially with the tv chefs, I'm sure they have to prepare foods they can't stand the taste of.
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9-26-2009 @7:03PM bhhodges said... i am a firm beliver in, eat less and excercise more, it really works
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9-26-2009 @7:07PM Bunny said... I love Mario. I think his cooking exemplfies the ral italian cooking. However, if he gets any heavier he will end up like Dom deLouise...Please Mario watch yyour weight and stop eating the Doritos. xxx
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9-26-2009 @7:22PM Angelo Laiacona said... My mother's Meatballs! I have been trying (for over 60 years) to duplicate them. I have succeeded on several attempts, but they remain elusive. She only made them in her "Sunday" Tomato Sauce, which was always made with Sausage and Meatballs. The flavor of the Sausage (which permeated the Sauce) was infused into the Meatballs. This flavor was in large part due to the Fennel Seeds in them.
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9-26-2009 @7:52PM John Bello said...
....Mario needs a long hot bath.
This guy cooks Italian like a HACK. He drizzles olive oil over everything....He looks like he drizzles it on himself. He has lots of money...and no talent. All the new world order drones lap up his CRAP like it's nectar from the Gods. My late Nonna cooks better in death than this HACK EVER WILL. Mario, take your money, and go to Italy for cooking lessons. ...And please take a BATH schifoso!!!
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9-26-2009 @10:13PM BG said... Mario cooks AMAZING dishes! To understand what I'm talking about, watch him on the Cooking Channel's "Iron Chef America." I'll agree - he does appear to be somewhat disheveled, however, I'd eat at his restaurant (on a night when he is Chef), ANYTIME!!!
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9-27-2009 @6:49PM thekitchwitch said... A.G.: Who peed in your cornflakes this morning? You do not need to be insulting and abusive. Hello? "Foot" Network won't come up on spellcheck because "foot" is a real WORD.

I suggest you go shoot tin cans in your backyard or pop a Xanax--you have anger issues,seriously.
Please, you rip someone a new one for a typo and then use the term "Boobie Flay?" You're *obviously* an intellectual.

I think Nigella and Ripert's comments are the most annoying...I mean, just get off the high horse and "play along," you know? Would it kill them to do that?

I'm not a huge Batali fan, but I applaud him for admitting his weakness for trash food. Who doesn't?

I think it's a fun question. I do agree that I'd love to hear what they won't eat, either.
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9-28-2009 @1:02PM Camille said... I think everyone here has missed the point - "guilty pleasure" is completely different from "favorite indulgence." "Guilty" implies enjoying something you know you shouldn't. Doritos fall into this category, gelato and Wagyu beef don't. As a pastry chef/chocolatier, I'll admit I indulge in my own treats far more often than one should. But what makes me feel guilty? My secret, undying love for Girl Scout cookies.
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9-28-2009 @4:25PM Laura K said... I second Camille's comment that most of these people clearly don't get the concept of the guilty pleasure. Though I could concede that gelato is a guilty pleasure if you enjoy it too often! :-)

And also, seriously, what is up with the hostility of a few of these commenters? Why do people think the internet gives everyone excuse to be a jackass?
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10-03-2009 @2:21PM nuria said... my guilty pleasure is hot cheetos i like spicy food
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10-03-2009 @2:48PM Alia said... It's the only place they can be themselves without someone kicking their pathetic whiny asses. They have no power in real life, heck, they have no life period, so they take it out on everyone online. Sniveling little bitchtards.
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